The Biden administration said it will deploy additional supplies and support to India in response to mounting pressure to help the Covid-19 stricken nation. India, which is second only to the United States in total case count, broke global records for the fifth straight day Monday with 352,991 new coronavirus infections. The country’s brutal second wave of
Continue ReadingOne of the hottest corners of financial markets is getting slightly less manic. What’s happening: Billionaires, celebrities and athletes have raced to create special-purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, over the past six months. These “blank check” firms, which raise money from investors and then go hunting for takeover targets, have been flagged as a sign
Continue ReadingAccording to Sir Anthony Hopkins, people on the internet were not the only ones surprised by his historic Oscar win for best actor Sunday night. The 83-year-old thespian became the oldest winner in the acting category for his performance as a man grappling with dementia in “The Father,” which was considered a bit of an
Continue ReadingTwitter has removed several tweets about Covid-19 at the request of the Indian government, including some that were critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of a brutal second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Sunday, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it had asked Twitter, Facebook and others to remove
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She laced up her boots and sped on to the skating rink. A seemingly innocuous act, except in 1952 during a time of racial segregation in the US, this young Black woman departed the rink with a broken arm, her actions having infuriated White men intent on her exclusion. Over a half a century before
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The increasingly radical presidency of Joe Biden was built on a straightforward foundation: putting Covid-19 shots in arms and stimulus checks in the bank. “When I took office, I decided that — it was a fairly basic, simple proposition, and that is I got elected to solve problems,” Biden said at his first official news
Continue ReadingThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in newly updated guidance for summer camps that people who can get vaccinated against Covid-19 should do so, but everyone should wear masks, distance is still necessary and staying outdoors is best. In guidance posted on Saturday, the CDC notes that vaccines are not yet authorized
Continue ReadingMoscow’s chief prosecutor froze the political movement of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny on Monday by suspending activities at his offices across the country, while petitioning a court to do the same for the Anti-Corruption Foundation that he founded. The decision comes against the backdrop of a pending court decision on whether to designate both
Continue ReadingGoogle’s Sundar Pichai and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella are rushing aid to India as the country battles an onslaught of coronavirus cases. The Indian-born CEOs pledged in statements Monday to help tackle a critical shortage of medical oxygen, provide technical expertise and deploy corporate resources as the country continues to set world records for daily infections.
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The US has begun to withdraw troops from Afghanistan ahead of the White House’s September 11 deadline, marking the beginning of the end of America’s longest war. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered
Continue ReadingThe producers of this year’s Academy Awards promised that it would be like a movie. They may want to consider a reshoot of the ending. Chadwick Boseman had been heavily favored to win in the best actor category for his role as a troubled trumpet player in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The actor died last
Continue ReadingWith Derek Chauvin’s convictions secured, the three other former Minneapolis Police officers on scene during George Floyd’s death last May are set to stand trial in August. J. Alexander Kueng, 27, Thomas Lane, 38, and Tou Thao, 35, are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter connected to Floyd’s
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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will juggle a slate of competing priorities this week as both parties wrestle with tense negotiations over infrastructure and police reform. Deliberations will play out during a week set to be defined by President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, which will serve as a
Continue ReadingThe headquarters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s anti-corruption organization has been suspended, pending a court decision on whether to designate the group as an extremist organization. Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), tweeted on Monday that the decision to suspend the group’s activities was made by Moscow’s chief prosecutor. The development comes
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Covid-19 vaccination efforts may begin to slow down as more Americans get vaccinated, one US official told CNN on Sunday. More than 42% of the United States population has received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 28.5% of the population is fully
Continue Reading“Nomadland,” director Chloé Zhao’s small-boned movie about nomads in America, earned best picture at a 93rd Academy Awards defined by the pandemic, as movies that premiered on streaming services ruled the ceremony — an in-person event mounted under Covid protocols. In a year where the pandemic shuttered theaters and turned movie-goers into couch potatoes, 16
Continue ReadingApril’s full moon is the “pink” moon, and it’s a supermoon, too. Catch it in the night sky this Monday. This moon will be at its fullest on Monday at 11:32 p.m. ET, according to NASA. Supermoons appear bigger and brighter in the sky because they are slightly closer to Earth. Interpretations of what qualifies
Continue ReadingA wildfire is “raging out of control” in the Hualapai Mountains near Pine Lake, Arizona, according to officials. The blaze, named the Flag Fire, is about 600 acres in size, Mohave County Communications Director Roger Galloway said in a news release Sunday evening. Officials in the county issued evacuation orders for residents of Pine Lake,
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